Heretofore, many game playing devices and boards have been constructed to provide challenging entertainment for the players. Many of these devices include a board having a playing surface on which game playing pieces are moved in a strategic pattern on the playing board according to the rules of the game. Some of these games have included game boards in which the game playing pieces are integral with the board rather than separated, loose pieces. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,561 discloses a game card assembly which includes a horizontal game card which provides a horizontal playing surface with windows in which movable game pieces are moved to play the game.
Another prior game utilizes a vertical playing board in which checkers are contained inside a grid and closed therein by means of an unsecured underslung gate. However, the gate often opens inadvertently discharging the checkers which require that the game be replayed. After the game is played, the checkers must be manually separated by color and the loss of checkers can render the game worthless or cause added expense to replace lost checkers. The players must individually place checkers in the grid, and the player breaks his concentration when he turns away from the game board to procure additional checkers.
Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a game playing apparatus which includes a vertical game playing board having two playing faces on which the game is played from opposite sides of the board in which the loss of game playing pieces is eliminated by making the playing pieces completely captive within the game board.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a game apparatus having a vertical game board which includes two playing faces having a plurality of windows arranged therein in a predetermined array wherein captive elements are played within by manipulation from outside the game board.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a game apparatus having a vertical game board which utilizes novel game playing pieces and a tool device for moving the pieces which are completely captive within the game board.
Prior vertical game boards require one marker to support the marker immediately above and so on to achieve total game board occupation. The game board, according to the invention, permits markers to be played anywhere in the game board and does not require other markers for vertical support and/or pattern formation.